Bottom sealing device



Filed March 10, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Aug. 6, 1935. F. FARMER BOTTOM SEALING DEVICE Filed March 10, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 QM MN fi x 1% @Ti R m R N\ HH 0 NW- u W/ 7n THIN... J 3 WW :HI. W\ r Y/ :I a t i a Q m M74 y 4 Z v4 Z 7/ z 2" D u M m .& NM .a ww a a ww w v m 3w mw ww mm .inww lllllllll w lllllllllllllllllllllllllll 1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII nw M mm I m m S m Q- llllllllllll Il/llllllllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll|lllllllll|lll\|v llllllllll nfifi v Patented Aug. 6, 1935 PATENT OFFICE BOTTOM SEALING DEVICE Fred Farmer, Brooklyn, N. Y. assignor to American Machine & Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application March 10,

9 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved sealing device for wrapping machines using continuous webs of wrapping material such as cellophane, or unw-axed paper and the like, which are not 5 permanently sealed by heat alone, its main object being to provide means for applying adhesive material across the web while a package is being wrapped, to seal the bottom seam of the finished package. With this and other objects not specifically mentioned in view, the invention consists in certain constructions and combinations hereinafter fully described and then specifically set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

The folded ends of a package made with a wrapper cut from a web of unwaxed paper or cellophane may be readily sealed by applying a suitable heat sealing compound to the side edges of the web of wrapping material, as shown in the co-pending application of F. R. Schmitt, S. N. 496,982, filed November 20, 1930, but the bottom seam of the wrapper can be permanently sealed only by applying a heat sealing compound or adhesive across the web before or while the wrapper is being cut. It has been found that heat sealing alone will not produce a permanent seal of the bottom seam when cellophane is used as a wrapping material.

In the present invention, the heat sealing compound or adhesive is applied across the web by a roller mounted on a movable member so arranged that the said roller, which normally rests on a paste drum rotating in a suitable adhesive receptacle, engages with the wrapper at the time the latter is cut from the web, the action of the knife serving to push the web into more intimate contact with the paste roller.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Fig. 1 is a partial side elevation of a wrapping machine equipped with the improved bottom sealing device;

Fig. 2 is a partial top view of the bottom seal- 7 ing mechanism, taken on line 2'-2 of Fig. l; and

1932, Serial No. 598,069

of a web of wrapping material between said table and runway, means for pushing an article from the runway into the wrapping material and onto said table, an adhesive. applying roller, means supporting the roller on the table, means for supplying adhesive to the roller while it is in inclined position, and mechanism operating when the table is in its horizontal position to sever the web and press the trailing end of the severed length of wrapping material against the roller to coat it with adhesive. In the best forms of construction contemplated, the roller supporting means includes arms pivotally mounted on the table and having rods extending therefrom, apertured studs through which the rods pass, and stationary supports on which the studs are rotatably mounted. These various means and parts may be widely varied in construction within the scope of the claims, for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the specific construction shown and described. Referring to the drawings, the side frames I0 '01 the wrapping machine of the type described in the patent to H. Y. Armstrong, No. 1,626,379, granted April 26, 1927, carry a cross-rod H to which saddle lugs I! are secured by means of caps 13. A receptacle [4 removably mounted on lugs l2 carries a drum l5 partly submerged in adhesive material stored in receptacle I4. The adhesive material may be a heat sealing compound composed of equal parts of paraffin and resin, as described in the application of F. R. Schmitt referred to above. The shaft-ends N5 of drum [5 rotate in bearings l! of receptacle M. The frames l0 carry a drive shaft l8 at- ,tached to which is a pulley l9 driving, by means of a belt 20, a pulley 2| mounted on a stud 22 carried by a plate 23. Mounted on stud 22 is a gear 24 connected to the driving pulley 2| by means of a jaw clutch 25, the said clutch being held in permanent engagement by a collar 26 fastened on stud 22. The gear 24 meshes with a gear 21 attached to the shaft 16 of drum I5.

The articles A to be wrapped, such as cartons, cakes or loaves of bread, arrive lengthwise on an inclined feed-in runway 28 and are transferred cross-wise by a reciprocating pusher 29 onto a r cam-operated lifting table 30, when the latter is in its downmost position 30'. In the up-posi-, tion of table 30, the articles are then propelled onto a horizontal discharge runway 3| on which the final folding and sealing of the package is Performed. The lifting table 30 is fulcrumed on 'tion A on table 30.

a shaft 32 supported by the side frames I0 and is actuated by a rod 33 controlled by a cam, not shown. The feed-in runway 28 is supported by cross-bars 34 attached to frames I ll, and the discharge runway 3| is mounted on cross-rods 35 supported by frames 10. The lifting table 30 carries lugs 36 in which are mounted studs 3! and 38, carrying swinging arms 39 and 40, the ends 4| of which support a roller 42 provided with'annular grooves along its length.

On leaving runway 28, the advancing article A encounters the hanging free end of the web W the side edges of which have been coated with heat sealing compound as described in the application of F. R. Schmitt referred to above, and which is thereby folded around three sides of the article when the latter has arrived in posi- The down-folding of the ends of the wrapper is performed while the table 30 carries the article into its upper position A" from which pusher fingers, not shown, depending from a moving endless chain propel the same to position A onrunway 3!, on entering which the hanging tail end of the wrapper W, which has been severed from the web on approaching position A, is folded under the article. While being carried along the runway 3|, the remain ing end and bottom flaps of the wrapper are folded against the article and the package is sealed by suitable means incorporated in the runway.

The end of the wrapper W is guided by a supporting plate 43 and hangs in front of the article A from a' rod 44, the free end passing through the gap between runway 28 and lifting table 3!). The article A is advanced into position A by the pusher 29, and the wrapper web is carried by it into position W from which the lifting table 36 carries it with the article into position W", the web then being guided by an upper rod 45. Upon the raising of table 30', a clamping frame ie carrying a roller 47 moves into holding position, the roller 4? pressing wrapper W" against a number of rubber blocks 48 attached to table 30. A rod 49 carried by swinging arms 50 turning on the fulcrum shaft 32 of the lifting table and being actuated by a lever 5!, then descends into position 49, thereby unwinding from the wrapper web reel an additional length of wrapper W'" sufficient for starting the next package, whereupon a knife 52 turning on a shaft 53 cuts the wrapper along ledger plate 54 fastened to table 30.

The article A, on being advanced into position A, enters between plates 55 which, in closing upon the package, tuck in the forward side flaps.

of the wrapper and hold them in position while table 30' ascends and after it has reached its up-position. In approaching the latter, the flaps of the top fold W" encounter stationary folders 56 resiliently attached to adjustable arms carried by the wrapping machine frame, thereby causing the top flaps of the wrapper to be folded down against the ends of the article. On being transferred onto runway 3|, the side flaps of the package are clamped between stationary side folding plates 51, also resiliently carried by the adjustable folder arms.

' When the lifter table is in its down position 30', shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the grooved roller 42 receives adhesive from the drum IS. The table, in ascending, turns the arms 38 and 40, rods 58 attached to them passing through transverse holes in studs-59 turnabiy mounted in forks 60 of adjustable supports Bl carried in lugs 62 attached to the side frames ID of the wrapping machine. In the up-position of table 30, the arms 39 and 40 and the roller 42 are in the positions shown in full lines in Fig. 1. In this position, the wrapper W" is clamped by the roller M against the rubber blocks 48 and the table pull-oil rod 49 has descended into position 49'. The knife 52 then cuts the wrapper W" against ledger plate 54 and, in doing so, presses the wrapper against the roller 42, thereby applying the adhesive carried by the latter to the cut end of wrapper W". At the bottom of Fig. 2, a side view of the cut end of wrapper web W is shown, the side stripes P representing the paste or wax carried by theweb and the cross patches P the paste applied to the cut end of the wrapper by the salient portions of roller 42. The table 30 and the rubber blocks 48 have cut-outs corresponding to the salient portions of roller 42, thereby eliminating the possibility of the aforesaid table and blocks to become smudged from the paste.

At the completion of the cutting operation, connection rods 63 and 64, actuated by suitable means from the drive of the wrapping machine, impart the required oscillating motions to the clamping frame 46 and-the knife 52, thereby returning them to their idle positions. The pasted end of wrapper W" is then free to move, and

the chain-driven pushers engaging the package A" propel the latter onto runway 3|, thereby folding and sealing the freshly pasted bottom seam, heat being applied by suitable means to seal the ends of the package in case the stripes P are of wax.

The adhesive receptacle M, for convenient removal, carries a pin 65 engaging in a slot of stop plate 66 attached to rear lug l2, and the support plate 23 carries a thumb screw 6! by which the receptacle is clamped against plate 66. The adhesive material is poured into a mouthpiece 68 connected to the receptacle I l by means of a pipe 69. The roller 82 can readily be removed for cleaning by pulling the arm 40 outward, thereby compressing a spring 10 carried by stud 38.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination with a lifting table swingable from a downwardly inclined position to a horizontal position, of a delivery runway adapted to guide articles to be wrapped into position to be delivered to said table while the latter is in its inclined position, means for guiding the leading end of a web of wrapping material between said runway and table, means for pushing an article from said runway into the wrapping material and onto said table while the latter is in its inclined position to partially enwrap the article in the wrapping material, an adhesive applying roller, means supporting said roller on said table, means for supplying adhesive to said roller while the table is in its inclined position, and mechanism operating when the table is in its horizontal position to sever the web and press the trailing end of the severed length of wrapping material against said roller to coat it with adhesive.

2. The combination with a lifting table swingable from a downwardly inclined position to a horizontal position, of a delivery runway adapted to guide articles to be wrapped into position to be delivered to said table while the latter is in its inclined position, means for guiding the leading end of a web of wrapping material between said runway and table, means for pushing an article from said runway into the wrapping material and onto said table while the latter is in-its inclined position to partially enwrap the article in the wrapping material, an adhesive applying roller, means supporting said roller on said table, means for supplying adhesive to said roller while the table is in its inclined position, and mechanism operating when the table is in its horizontal positlon to sever the web and press the trailing end of the severed length of wrapping material against said roller to coat it with-adhesive, said means for supporting the roller including arms pivotally mounted on said table and having rods extending therefrom, studs having apertures through which said rods pass, and stationary supports on which said studs are rotatably mounted.

3. The combination with a lifting table swing- .able from a downwardly inclined position to a horizontal position, of a delivery runway adapted to guide articles to be wrapped into position to be delivered to said table while the latter is in its inclined position, means for guiding the leading end of a web of wrapping material between said runway and table, means for pushing an article from said runway into the wrapping material and onto said table while the latter is in its inclined position to partially enwrap the article in the wrapping material, an adhesive applying roller, means supporting said roller on said table, means for supplying adhesive to said roller while the table is in its inclined position, and mechanism operating when the. table is in its horizontal position to sever the web and press the trailing end of the severed length of wrapping material against said roller to coat it with adhesive, said adhesive supplying means including an adhesive receptacle arranged below said table, an adhesive applying drum partly submerged in the adhesive in said receptacle and means for rotating said drum.

4. In a wrapping machine, the combination with a lifter table having an up and down movement, of means co-operating with said table to partially enwrap an article on the table in a length of wrapping material leaving one edge of the wrapper exposed, a movable paste applying element, connections betweensaid element and the table for operating the element to apply paste to the wrapper edge in timed relation to the operation of the table, and means for supplying paste to said element.

5. In a wrapping machine, the combination with means for spreading the end portion of a continuous web of wrapping material, of means for moving an article into the spread web to partially wrap said material circumferentially about the article, means for severing the web at a point spaced from the article, and paste applying means having a paste carrying element movable into and out of engagement with the web at a position between the web severing means and the article and at a predetermined location relative to the point of severance.

6. In a bread wrapping machine, means for causing a Cellophane wrapper to be wound about the loaf of bread, a knife having teeth for severing the end of the wrapper, and a glue ap plying roller having enlarged portions disposed in line with, and extending beyond, the teeth of the knife when the roller is in glue applying position.

7.- In a bread wrapping machine, means for winding a wrapper about a loaf of bread, an abutment against which substantially the central portion of one side of the bread is forced during the wrapping operation, means for severing the wrapper, means for'applying glue thereto, and means for sealing the glue applied portion of the wrapper to an overlapped portion of the wrapper.

8. In a bread wrapping machine, a movable platform, means .to suspend anend portion of a "Cellophane wrapper in ,front of the platform, means for projecting a loaf of bread upon said platform while entraining the Cellophane wrapper upon the bread, a movable lap roller for winding the wrapper beneath the loaf and for forming a loop in the wrapper and for drawing an additional amount of the wrapper from the source of supply, a sealing roller for engaging the wrapper beneath the loaf, a knife just below said sealing roller, and movable glue applying means for wiping across the edge portion of the wrapper between the sealing roller and said knife.

9. In a bread wrapping machine, a movable platform, means to suspend an end of a Cellophane? wrapper in front of the platform, means for projecting a loaf of bread upon said platform while entraining the Cellophane wrapper upon the bread, a movable lap roller for winding the wrapper about the bread,a sealing roller for engaging the wrapper beneath the loaf, a knifejust below said sealing roller, a source of glue supply, glue applying means movable from a position in which it receives glue from the source of glue supply to a position in which it applies glue to the edge portion of the wrapper between the sealing roller and said knife, means for moving said platform, a removal platform, means for moving the wrapped loaf from the first platform to the re moval platform, and means at the sides of the platforms for folding the end portions of I the wrapper. 

